


First Christmas

by miss_whimsy



Category: Emmerdale
Genre: Christmas, Domestic, Fluff, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-12-27
Updated: 2016-12-27
Packaged: 2018-09-12 17:06:24
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,474
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9081685
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/miss_whimsy/pseuds/miss_whimsy
Summary: Robert, Aaron and Liv spend their first Christmas in their new home.





	

**Author's Note:**

> Written for [ryanhawleyandishouldbone](http://ryanhawleyandishouldbone.tumblr.com/) for the [Robron Holiday Exchange.](http://robronholidayexchange.tumblr.com/) Happy Holidays! x

The knock on the door was soft, but it was enough to wake Robert. The clock on the bedside table said it was five am. 

“Shit.”

He rolled out of bed when the second knock came, grabbing a t-shirt from the floor and pulling it on before opening the door. 

“That's Aaron's t-shirt,” Liv pointed out immediately.

Robert sighed. “Did you wake me up just to take the piss?”

“Why should today be different from any other?” Liv asked. 

“Why indeed?” Rob muttered. “It’s five o’clock, Liv.”

“It’s Christmas Day, Robert,” Liv hissed back. 

“Aaron’s still asleep,” Robert pointed out. 

“So wake him up.”

“No chance.”

“Then I’ll wake him up,” Liv said, pushing past Robert and jumping onto the bed. “Aaron.”

Robert rubbed his face then shuffled back over to the bed. “Get in, it’s freezing. The heating doesn’t come on for another hour.”

Liv rolled her eyes but quickly shoved her feet under the covers, then poked at Aaron’s shoulder. “Aaron.”

“He’s awake,” Robert yawned, flopping back down and wrestling part of the duvet back from Liv.

“It’d be hard not to be when you two are making such a racket,” Aaron mumbled into the pillow. “Merry Christmas, Liv.”

“Merry Christmas,” she said. “Can we get up now?”

“No,” Robert insisted. “Another hour, please.”

Liv huffed but settled between them, secretly enjoying the way their hands sought each other out and their fingers laced together, holding her between them. She closed her eyes for a moment, feeling safe and loved.

 

The click of the boiler switching on woke them all again and Liv scrambled out of the bed, pushing and pulling Aaron with her. “Come on.”

They barrelled down the stairs and into the living room. Robert switched on the Christmas tree lights and a couple of lamps while Aaron wrapped himself in the throw from the back of the sofa. Liv dove into the mountain of presents under the tree, sorting them into smaller piles for Aaron, Robert and herself.

Robert settled himself next to Aaron and nudged Liv’s knee with his foot. “Get cracking then. You have twice as many as we do.”

Aaron watched with a sleepy smile as Liv tore into her gifts. Robert pulled his feet up under him and snuggled into Aaron’s side as surreptitiously as he could.

Once all the presents had been opened and thanks exchanged through happy laughter, Robert stood and gathered up all the wrapping paper. “Bacon sandwiches?”

“Yes, please,” Liv said, though she was too busy setting up her new iPad to look up at him.

Aaron stretched out on the sofa and smiled up at Robert as he passed. “Best husband ever.” With a yawn, he waved his hand at the TV remote. “Pass the thing, Liv,” he said then grunted, murmuring a thank you when it landed on his stomach a second later. “And switch the PlayStation on.” Liv aimed an unimpressed look at him but leant across to turn on the console. 

She held out her hand to Aaron. “Game.”

He pushed the box across the carpet to her and smiled as she ripped off the cellophane and slid the disc in to play.

“Are you just going to be as lazy as possible today?” Robert asked, reappearing with plates of sandwiches balanced on cups of tea. “You’ll have to sit up.”

Liv knelt up to take her cup and plate. Aaron shuffled into a somewhat upright position and held out his hands to Robert. “Yeah,” he said, answering Robert’s question. “That’s what Christmas is for.”

Liv tossed him the controller, grinning when it hit Aaron’s ankle. “Oh really?”

“We have to walk up there later,” Aaron said around a mouthful of bacon and bread when Robert had rejoined them with his own breakfast. “So until the food’s ready I’d really like to just stay lying down.”

“Sucks to be you then, doesn’t it?” Robert said. “Because I’m not making an entire Christmas dinner by myself.”

“On our wedding day you said you’d do anything to make me happy,” Aaron pointed out. “I think this counts.”

“Yeah, on our wedding day you said you’d’ support me through anything,” Robert shot back. “Which this definitely covers.”

“On your wedding day you promised me you would try to hold back on doing stuff that made me want to vom when I’m around,” Liv said, interrupting their soppy gazing competition. “Well, this is one of those times. And I’d like to remind you that you failed with that one after one day, making you both liars.”

“I think Liv should make Christmas dinner,” Robert said. 

“Seconded.”

“I hate you both.”

“Now who’s the liar?” Aaron laughed. He set his empty plate and cup on the floor, then stretched his legs out over Robert’s lap and picked up the game controller. “What time do I have to move?”

“Eleven,” Robert said, picking up one the books Aaron had bought him. He rested his cup against Aaron’s ankle and started to read.

 

Christmas Dinner was a huge success and Aaron even managed to convince Robert to put on a paper hat, on the understanding he wouldn’t have to wear one up at Wishing Well. When they were all stuffed full of food and generally more pliable, Liv bustled them all back to the sofa, set the timer on the camera and got a family photo of the three of them enjoying their first Christmas in their own home.

They had to force themselves to move again, pulling on coats, gloves and scarves and setting off with three huge bags of presents to join the rest of the Dingles for the evening.

“You said I could try a Snowball this year,” Liv reminded them as they stopped outside the pub to collect Chas and Charity.

“You can try some of Robert’s,” Aaron said. “You won’t like it, though.”

“That’s what he said,” Liv replied. “How many did you have in the end, Rob?”

“Four,” Robert sighed. “They take the edge off.”

Chas ran out of the front door, trailed by Charity and Noah, and enveloped Aaron in a hug. “Merry Christmas, sweetheart,” she said, pressing kisses to his cheek as he tried to squirm away. She released him with a laugh and moved on to Liv. “Merry Christmas, angel.” 

Robert stood frozen, waiting; hoping, but pretending not to, that Chas would include him again, without the amount of alcohol in her she’d put away the year before.

“Robert,” she said, holding out her arms to him, “I’m not standing here for my health.” 

He stepped forward and hugged her, smiling when she squeezed him tight and kissed his cheek. “Merry Christmas, love. I really mean it.” She patted his cheek. “You’re a good lad.”

Robert caught Aaron’s eye over Chas’s shoulder and bit his lip. Aaron looked like he was about to burst out laughing. 

Charity and Noah set off, followed by Chas and Liv. Robert and Aaron hung back until the others were out of earshot.

“I think you’re officially a Dingle now,” Aaron said. 

“I thought the wellie did that,” Robert said, taking Aaron’s hand. 

“Still can’t believe you did that.”

“I didn’t want any chance of someone saying I wasn’t actually your husband,” Robert said, for probably the hundredth time that year. “I mean obviously an actual marriage certificate means nothing compared to drinking beer from a rubber boot.”

Aaron laughed and tugged Robert to a halt. The other had disappeared from view now and they were alone, out of sight of everyone. “Oi,” he said, leaning in. “I love you.”

Robert blinked at him, a little surprised, but happy. “I love you too.”

They melted into a kiss, dropping their bags to the ground as they wrapped their arms around each other.

“We could just go home,” Robert murmured. “With Liv gone all afternoon, we’d finally have some alone time. We could go back to bed.”

“Later,” Aaron promised. “We don’t have to stay all night. Just a few hours. And it was you who wanted to stay last year.”

“We’ll go as soon as the singing starts this time,” Robert said. “I have plans for tonight.”

“Sounds nice,” Aaron said. “I wasn’t really expecting Liv to come in first thing.”

“We have all night,” Robert said. “She’ll be so knackered, I bet she’ll pass out by nine.”

“Are you two coming or what?” Liv yelled, running back into view. She rolled her eyes when she saw them and turned her head. “I told you they’d be kissing.”

Aaron and Robert gathered their bags and continued up the road. Robert wrapped his arm around Liv’s shoulders when they caught up to her. 

“Right, let’s get on with it then. Dingle Family Christmas, number two.”

Aaron bumped their shoulders together and grinned, leading them up the hill and into the house.


End file.
